Why is water served with coffee?


A visit to an elite coffee shop requires that the visitor drink espresso correctly and enjoy every sip. Baristas know the intricacies of preparing this alluring drink, and the secrets of drinking will help you feel all the shades of taste. Coffee shops serve water with coffee. This tradition did not appear by chance; it turns coffee drinking into a magical ritual.

How is espresso served?

An invigorating drink with crema foam was invented in Italy, and since then it has been served in cafes around the world. Its appearance is associated with the invention of the coffee machine, because it is impossible to follow the preparation technology manually. In the article “Espresso coffee: what it really is,” we wrote about the traditions of its use.

This type of coffee, like tea, has its own preparation characteristics. To reveal the taste and aroma, use dishes heated to 40 degrees. Italians know how to drink coffee correctly; they order it at the bar. In other countries it is consumed while sitting at a table. You need to drink it immediately after preparation, while the foam is thick. It is believed that the lifetime of this product is 15-30 seconds. After this period of time, the foam does not have sufficient density.

Arrange cutlery so that the client does not waste a minute. The spoon and cup handle should be on the side of the visitor's right hand. Baristas can tell you how to drink espresso coffee so that you can feel the aftertaste for several hours. To do this, it is better not to complement your coffee drinking with cakes and cookies, they will clog the taste.

The taste of coffee and traditions of communication

Coffee has a pronounced, intense taste. The first sips of a quality drink can enchant, but then the taste buds get used to it and the aroma ceases to be noticeable. Drinking water can cleanse your taste buds, allowing yourself to experience the magic of those first sips over and over again. Thus, the tradition of drinking coffee with water allows you to greatly increase the pleasure of the drink.

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In Turkey, coffee is often drunk after a meal, which ends slowly, turning into communication between people sitting at the table. After the main course has been eaten, a few sips of water will help get rid of the aftertaste so you can enjoy your coffee more. And the opportunity to alternate an invigorating drink with water allows you to prolong the conversation, gatherings at the table, because southerners are very sociable and value the company of loved ones no less than the Slavs.

What water gives

In high-end restaurants, visitors are often served a glass of water along with their coffee. This method of presentation is associated not only with the rules of etiquette. It is known that after taking the first sip, a person perceives less aroma and subtle notes of taste. Therefore, they drink water, which washes away the remains of the drink. As a result, receptors respond better, and taste qualities are fully revealed. Finishing your coffee ceremony with a sip of water will relieve the bitterness in your mouth.

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Along with classic espresso, there are its varieties that differ in concentration.

Doppio is a double portion. In the classic one, about 10 grams of coffee are mixed with 25-35 milliliters of water. In doppio, the amount of liquid and tea leaves is doubled

Triplo – triple portion.

Ristretto - has the highest concentration and rich taste. This is double doppio, but it has half the water. The serving is for 2 sips.

Lungo coffee is less concentrated. Served at the bar, it contains the same amount of coffee as an espresso, but is mixed with 100 ml of liquid.

It is clear why concentrated doppio, triplo or ristretto is usually washed down with water. These types of espresso, due to the larger amount of brewing, are quite bitter and create a high load on the heart. Water not only enhances the taste, but also makes Ristretto traditionally consumed with a glass of water, but do not add sugar, otherwise it will ruin the taste.

It is important for a person who cares about their health to ask how to drink espresso in order to reduce the burden on the body. There is scientific evidence why drinking water 25 to 25 minutes after coffee is beneficial. The coffee bean has an outer and an inner shell. The outer shell contains the alkaloid caffeine, the inner shell contains theobromine.

If you prepare coffee beans, the caffeine will be released immediately and will act on the body within 25 minutes. It constricts the blood vessels of almost all organs. On the contrary, the kidney vessels expand. Blood supply improves, the kidneys work better, and fluid quickly leaves the body.

After 25 minutes, theobromine begins to act, and caffeine no longer has an effect. It dilates all blood vessels and constricts the renal ones. The pressure decreases, the person may feel a pulling sensation in the kidneys. To avoid the harmful effects of theoromine, you need to drink a glass of water 25 minutes after the espresso. Therefore, in decent coffee shops, visitors are always offered coffee.

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How to drink espresso coffee in a cafe with water

You went into a cafe and ordered a cup of coffee. If this:

  • espresso - any of its types: doppio (double), lungo, Americano, macchiato, con panna, Romano;
  • Turkish coffee or other strong brewed coffee.

It is quite possible that a glass of water will be served along with it. Further, you have the right to act at your own discretion, but I suggest you find out what residents of other countries do.

In Italy

In Rome, Milan and other cities in the north of the country, it is not customary to serve water with coffee. In the southern regions and on the island of Sicily it will be brought so that the visitor quenches his thirst before drinking coffee. If he finished the water after the cup was empty, he would have stabbed the barista in the heart. After all, this means that he did not like the coffee, and he washed away its aftertaste.

In France

Water for coffee drinking is brought in a jug and each client sitting at the table can pour from it whenever he sees fit and as much as he wants. A clean glass is placed in front of each visitor. The French are inclined to believe that it is better to drink water before coffee.

In Spain

They also prefer to drink water first, then coffee. Cortado coffee (with milk), beloved by the Spaniards, is consumed without drinking.

In the Nordic countries

They offer boiling water for coffee. If desired, you can use it to dilute a too strong drink.

In Germany

There are no traditions in this regard. Water is often brought with gas - drink it as you wish.

In Greece

The cafe will serve you a glass of water before you even place your order. This is the custom and expression of hospitality. After refreshing yourself with cold water, start drinking coffee.

In Turkey

Local residents start drinking excellent Turkish coffee, brewed in a Turkish coffee pot on the sand, after a large sip of cool water.

In Arab countries

In hot climates, a glass of water will quench your thirst before drinking coffee. If it is washed down with coffee, the final sip is usually coffee.

Reference: Austrian aristocrats were the first in Europe to use a glass of water when drinking coffee. In the second half of the 19th century, elegance and refinement of manners among ladies came first. But how can you put a spoon stained with coffee grounds on a clean saucer and not catch the indignantly amazed look of your interlocutors? This is where the glass came in handy. The used spoon was immersed in water and rinsed.

There are no uniform rules, so improvise to your heart’s content. But there are recommendations for serving and requirements for the quality and temperature of water if you decide to serve coffee with a glass of water at home.

For water, it is better to take a thick-walled transparent glass; it will maintain the temperature of the liquid longer. The optimal temperature is 8 – 10°, it can be higher if it’s hot outside, but not more than 20°. Spring or well water is perfect, although tasty, natural water is not available to everyone. Take still drinking water from the store.

Fill the glass to the middle. Some coffee recipes recommend adding a drop of fresh lemon or lime juice, a slice of apple, and a spoonful of mint infusion to the drinking water. The sourness of the natural product will prepare you for a new coffee taste and increase the sensitivity of the receptors. Soft cool water without additives is more often used.

Get into the habit of not leaving a pitcher of water far away when drinking coffee. If you don’t feel like drinking it while enjoying your favorite drink, don’t forget to drink half a glass of water half an hour after it. This is useful!

What kind of water can be used

Water quality plays an important role. It is recommended to use filtered liquid. If possible, it is better to buy spring or mineral. Coffee should be drunk with cold water, but not ice water. Otherwise, the taste will not be fully developed, and the temperature difference will create a feeling of discomfort. The liquid must be cooled, otherwise it will not give the desired effect.

Mineral water has a taste, but some connoisseurs like it more than regular water. Therefore, sometimes, at the client’s request, a glass of mineral water is served. An experienced coffee drinker knows why the water is served and may ask for natural flavors to be added to it. To do this, infuse mint leaves or add a little lemon. It is important not to overdo it with additives, otherwise the aroma of the grains will not be felt.

How to drink espresso with water - instructions

It is believed that the tradition of drinking coffee came from Ancient Greece. In hot weather, the extra liquid helped cool me down. In many southern countries, the ancient tradition has been preserved. But a glass of water is drunk after a coffee drink.

To enjoy the taste of espresso, it is convenient to follow the instructions:

  • Take a glass of water and take a couple of sips to prepare the receptors.
  • Recommend: take a sip and alternate two types of liquid with each other.
  • You need to take breaks between sips to feel the taste. It is better to hold the cool liquid on the tongue to activate the receptors.
  • You need to hold the water in your mouth for a few seconds and then swallow it.
  • To leave a bitter aftertaste in your mouth, you need to drink the rest of the coffee with your last sip.
  • If you drink some water at the end of the coffee ceremony, it will wash away the remaining coffee in your mouth. In this case, there will be no aftertaste, but the effect of the product on the stomach will be reduced. Therefore, there will be no heartburn or increased heart rate.

A glass of water is not a tribute to tradition or a way to decorate the table. This method of consumption reduces the impact of caffeine on the body and reduces the load on the heart. Reasons: regular coffee increases blood pressure, and if you drink it, the effect will decrease. For people suffering from heartburn, this method of consumption will be a real salvation. Water reduces the secretion of hydrochloric acid, so a person does not feel discomfort in the stomach.

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There are other ways to use it. Residents of Turkey drink the entire portion of the coffee drink after a sip of water. Then drink the remaining water. As a result, the body does not react so strongly to caffeine, there is no feeling of being thrown into a fever. In addition, water washes away the coloring pigment from the teeth. Therefore, after drinking coffee, there will be no yellowish residue left, scaring off your interlocutors.

Coffee and cold water

Some people drink it with chilled water. The liquid enhances the taste and aroma, while the invigorating properties of coffee appear more intensely. Coffee lovers with many years of experience advise taking a couple of sips of cool water before drinking a hot drink, then the aftertaste will last for a long time.

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Many coffee shops serve water with coffee. It is believed that this tradition originated in Greece, then it was adopted in Turkey, from where it followed to European countries. A glass of cold water is usually served with various types of espresso and Turkish coffee.

Coffee and water

Lovers of an invigorating drink often wonder why they serve cold water with coffee? There are several reasons for this:

  • The drink, if brewed according to the rules, has a dense taste and a pronounced aroma. These qualities are not fully felt due to the fact that the receptors responsible for taste adapt to the stimuli and the person does not receive proper pleasure. Pure cool water, odorless and tasteless, consumed in small sips, cleanses the receptors. This allows you to again feel all the shades of aromatic, slightly bitter taste.
  • Medical professionals recommend alternating coffee with water. After all, the drink contains caffeine, which increases blood pressure, and the cool liquid has the ability to prevent its negative effects on the human body. It reduces the mass fraction of caffeine, regulates heartbeat rhythms, and prevents sudden surges in blood pressure. This action is also useful for people with stomach problems.
  • Coffee, consumed daily by people, stains the enamel of teeth, forming a yellowish coating on it. A sip of water taken after a drink has a beneficial effect on the condition of the teeth, as it has time to wash away the pigment, preventing it from being absorbed.
  • Water served with coffee in hot weather gives you the opportunity to get double pleasure: firstly, it gives the body an additional charge of vigor, and secondly, it refreshes. A coffee drink warms up the body, increasing its tone, and cold liquid cools it down a little. For example, in countries with hot climates, a glass of water is served after drinking coffee, without alternating drinks. This way a brighter freshness effect is achieved.
  • Water prevents dehydration of the body and replenishes losses from the effects of caffeine, which has a diuretic property.

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Cold water coffee

What do the doctor's say

Doctors use averages. One cup holds up to 30-45 ml of drink. This is the recommended serving and contains 40-75 mg of caffeine.

Daily value for each type of espresso served:

Lungo – daily norm – 2 cups or 200 ml.

Australian Lungo 200 ml – you can consume up to 200 ml of Australian Lungo per day.

The daily dose of doppio is 80 ml.

Triplo – 120 ml

Ristretto – 60 ml.

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